Family Adventures
by elang4
Summary: Sequel to This is Life. Follow the Gilmores/Danes/Marianos as they continue with their lives, with some new additions to their families. There will be lots of laughter, fun but also obstacles on the way.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been rereading some of my stories and I realised how much I loved writing The Gilmore Twins and This is Life and I feel like I could make it into a trilogy. I will still be working on The Sister Code but I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block at the moment so bear with me. But having reread my old stories, I've been hit with some inspiration for a trequel (if that's a word! :P). Please do let me know if you're interested in this! :)**

 **So to summarise quickly where we finished in This is Life:** **Chris got married to Penny and is very happy and became friends with Luke. Rory told Sam she was pregnant. Charlotte and Jess enjoyed Lizzie's 1st birthday celebrations with their 6 year old son Jack and their family. Lorelai and Luke have a 5 year old daughter called Mia and a one month old son called Will.**

 **Where this story will begin:** **It will be set two years after the end of This is Life. To quickly summarise ages, Jack will be 8, Mia will be 7, Lizzie will be 3, Will will be 2 and seeing as Rory was just pregnant in the epilogue, her and Sam's daughter will be 1. Everything else will be filled in during the chapters.**

 **I really hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 1

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Millie, Happy birthday to you!" Everyone chorused together.

"I can't believe she's one." Rory smiled softly at Sam.

"I know." Sam smiled. "Seems like yesterday that you were in hospital having her."

"Yeah..." Rory said softly, thinking back to that day.

 _"I can't do it anymore, I just can't!" Rory panted heavily._

 _"You can." Lorelai assured her._

 _"I can't!" Rory cried._

 _"Ror, you've done amazing. It's just one more push and we get to see our daughter for the first time. One more push and we become parents. How cool is that?" Sam smiled, taking hold of her hand._

 _"I...I'm so tired..." Rory said._

 _"I know." Sam said. "You're doing amazing. It's just one more push. Squeeze my hand as hard as you like, ok? I'm in this with you." Sam said. She saw his wife glare at him. "Ok, sorry. I'm not in it with you in that way obviously! But I'm here ok and I believe you can do this. One more push."_

 _"Are you ready?" The midwife kindly asked._

 _Rory glanced at her mom and then at Sam. "I can do this..." She said._

 _"You can do this." Sam smiled softly._

 _"Absolutely." Lorelai smiled tremulously._

 _"Ok, on three, I want one last big push from you, Rory, ok?" The midwife said. "One, two, three..." She said and a few moments later, a cry engulfed the room._

 _"Is she ok?" Rory asked._

 _"She's perfect." The midwife smiled, taking some time to clean her and wrap her up before smiling at the couple. "Would you like to hold her?"_

 _"Yes please." Rory said breathlessly._

 _"Congratulations." The midwife smiled, handing their daughter over._

 _"Oh hon, she's beautiful." Lorelai smiled tremulously._

 _"She really is huh?" Rory smiled softly down at her daughter who she felt so much love for already. She glanced up at Sam who had tears in his eyes. "She broke you too huh?" She joked._

 _Sam chuckled slightly. "Just a bit. She's amazing." He said softly. He smiled at Rory. "And so are you. You did it, Ror." He said giving her a kiss. "I love you so much."_

 _"I love you too." Rory said softly._

 _"I'll give you two a minute." Lorelai said softly before leaving the room._

"I can't believe how much love I felt for her in that moment." Rory admitted. "You know me, I was so worried that I wouldn't feel...connected. I never have with babies and kids, well apart from family obviously. But with her, it was instant. I guess it's different when they're your own flesh and blood." She smiled softly.

"Absolutely." Sam nodded. "And you're a great mom."

"And you're a great dad." Rory said.

"Hey! How does it feel having a one year old now?" Charlotte grinned bounding up to them.

"Surreal!" Rory laughed.

"Well just one year until the terrible twos so enjoy this year with her!" Charlotte joked.

"Gee thanks." Rory said dryly.

Sam chuckled. "How does it feel being an aunt to a one year old?"

"Great!" Charlotte grinned.

"Where's Jess?" Rory asked.

"Outside trying to referee a game of soccer that's going on." She smirked. "Dad and Luke are getting competitive."

Rory laughed. "That's still so weird even after all this time, seeing them get on."

"Tell me about it!" Charlotte laughed. "And you'd think it would be the kids having to be refereed. But I think Jess has already threatened to send Luke off."

"Now this I have to see!" She grinned. "Come on!"

"We'll be right behind you." Sam laughed watching Rory bound off after Charlotte as he picked Millie up and followed them.

* * *

"I still remember holding Millie for the first time. It feels like yesterday." Charlotte said as they all lounged in the living room after a day of fun and celebrations. All the kids had gone to bed so it was only Luke, Lorelai, Richard, Emily, Chris, Penny, Rory, Sam, Charlotte, Jess and April left up.

"Tell me about it." Rory smiled softly.

"I still can't believe you named her after mom." Lorelai teased.

"Well that's not exactly true." Emily said.

"Aw don't be modest, Grandma." Charlotte said. "Amelia is close to Emily and you know the sentiment behind it. Rory didn't want to use your exact name but you know she's named after you."

Emily ducked her head slightly. "I still don't know why you wanted to."

"Because we've used up Lorelai!" Rory joked. "No, but seriously, you've been a big part of our lives. I wanted Millie to know that."

"Well, I think it's a grand name." Richard smiled. "Don't you?"

Emily smiled softly. "Yes. Yes I do."

"So, one last movie and then bed?" Charlotte suggested.

"I don't think I could last one more." Luke said.

"What, did that soccer match take it out of you? Not so fit now huh?" Jess smirked.

"Shut up." Luke retorted. "You threatening to send me off, didn't help."

"You were getting too competitive! You full on tackled Jack for the ball!" Jess said.

"And me." April added.

"I did not." He protested.

"You did." Chris chuckled.

"Hey, you weren't much better, Mr I will tackle my own daughter for the ball." Lorelai smirked.

"It was a fair tackle! And she wasn't on my team. Jack was on Luke's!" Chris smirked.

"But April wasn't." Luke smirked slightly.

"Well I think you should both be banned from the games in the future now." Jess smirked.

Luke smield slightly. "Maybe you're right." He conceded. "Sorry." He said sheepishly to April.

"I'm over it." April grinned.

"I can't argue with that." Chris chuckled.

"Ok let's put the movie on and see how everyone does! People can retire to bed when they want." Lorelai smiled.

"Sounds good. Ror?" Charlotte said.

"I'm up for one more." Rory nodded. She smiled and snuggled into Sam as Charlotte turned the movie on. "Good day." She said softly.

"Great day." Sam smiled softly.

Rory smiled and glanced round the room as everyone focused on the tv. Richard and Emily were sat together, exchanging small smiles. Her grandparents really had become a big part of their lives in the last couple of years. They had made the effort to visit all of them frequently and they were starting to relax in more informal settings which was nice. She knew she wanted to honour her Grandma when she found out she was having a daughter. Her and Charlotte had their mom's name in different ways so she wanted Emily included in that tradition. She didn't want just Emily so after lots of deliberation, her and Sam had settled on Amelia, Millie for short. It was a lovely moment when they had told their family what was behind the name.

Rory then glanced over at her mom and Luke. They were still going strong. Luke was still working at the diner every day and her mom was still at the Dragonfly with Michel and Sookie. They shared parenting duties with Mia and Will. They would alternate having Will either at the diner or the inn or sometimes a family member or townsperson would offer to watch him for them. Mia would then either go to the diner or inn after school until they finished work. Mia was a great big sister to Will. She doted on him. Rory smiled as she thought about how precious they both were and she loved spending time with them when she could.

She glanced over at her dad and Penny. They were still going strong as well. She smiled softly as she thought about the changes over the last couple of years. He had really kept up the effort of staying in her and Charlotte's lives and making sure to be there for them when needed. He has also had to deal with Sherry totally flaking out on Gigi. It had looked, at one moment, that Sherry was finally committing to being a mom and Gigi had gone to visit her in France a few times but it was obvious Gigi didn't enjoy it. Whereas, she absolutely adored Penny and whatever Sherry failed in, Penny was there for Gigi. Last year, her dad had had enough and petitioned for Penny to adopt Gigi. Not surprisingly, Sherry signed the papers so Gigi was finally part of a proper family. She was really proud of her dad. He had really stepped up.

Rory looked over at Charlotte and Jess who were also snuggled together. They were still living in Hartford and Jess was still writing and publishing books along with running the bookstore with Sam which was doing very well. Charlotte was still illustrating in her free time still but she had recently started working at the bookstore as well and she knew how much her sister loved it. She smiled as she thought about her nephew and niece. Jack was doing really well at school, along with Mia. The two of them were inseparable. He was a great big brother to Lizzie as well. They had their moments like all siblings, especially when Lizzie messed with some of Jack's books, but she knew her nephew doted on his sister.

She finally glanced up at her own husband who smiled back at her. She thought about how much had changed recently. She wasn't embarrassed to say that she was worried sick about becoming a mom but having Millie was the best thing that had ever happened to her. And Sam had been a great constant in her life. He had really found himself, really getting stuck into the bookstore with Jess and she knew how much he loved working alongside his best friend. She was ecstatic when she found out Charlotte was joining her team as well. She was happy that her sister and husband got on so well. She had been travelling a lot doing overseas journalism so it was nice to know that Sam wasn't alone when she wasn't there. She wasn't exactly sure what her future held jobwise as she had been having some time off work, focussing on Millie for the last year but she wasn't worried. She knew she would find something even if it meant she wasn't travelling. She was more than happy to be close to home to enjoy her family life for a while. She snuggled closer to Sam who put his arm round her and she smiled softly to herself as she turned her focus back to the tv. Life was pretty good at the moment.

 **I'm sorry it's a bit shorter than normal but I wanted to set the scene and fill in some gaps in this first chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise! :) Please do let me know if you're interested in this becoming a trilogy. I really love reading your reviews so please do let me know what you think. Thank you! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your follows! Please do let me know if you would like me to continue with this. :) Oh and just for reference, in this, Davey is the same age as Jack. :)**

Chapter 2

"Mom, can I go? I can see Davey outside the school." Jack said pulling Charlotte's hand.

"You don't want to grab something from Luke's first?" Charlotte said.

"Mommm, I've already eaten at home. Please can I go? Davey and I want to hang out for a bit before our lessons start." Jack said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Alright, but watch the roads ok?" She said.

"I will! Bye mom! Bye dad!" Jack grinned before running off towards the school.

Charlotte watched him until he reached the school and then he and Davey disappeared into the building. "Ok, how have we both created a kid that actually enjoys school?" She smirked at Jess, who continued pushing Lizzie in a pram towards Luke.

"Beats me." Jess smirked.

"Remember it's his parents evening tonight. Sam knows we have to get off early right?" Charlotte said.

"Yep he knows." Jess nodded. "And I texted Lane last night to confirm that she and Zach can still watch the kids."

"Cool." Charlotte smiled as they entered Luke's. "Hey Luke!"

"Hey!" Luke smiled at them. "The usual?" He asked.

"You know us so well." Charlotte grinned.

"Unfortunately." He smirked.

"Aw Luke, you wound us!" Charlotte laughed.

Luke chuckled and headed off to the kitchen to get their food as Charlotte and Jess sat down at a table.

"So I heard from TJ yesterday." Jess said.

"Oh yeah? How are he and Doula doing?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah they're good. Doula still has some wobbles I think." Jess said.

"That's understandable." Charlotte said.

"Yeah.." He sighed. "I told her I'd go and visit them tomorrow. I feel bad that it's been a while since last time."

"I'm sure they understand that you've been busy. And you ring her every week." She said.

"I know. I just..." Jess sighed. "I feel like Liz would have wanted me to look out for her."

"Hey, you have been." Charlotte said softly. "You ring them every week and you make the effort to go and see them. Liz would be so proud of you."

Jess gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

"Pancakes, omelette, juice and a drink of death." Luke said placing their food and drinks infront of them.

"Nothing like Luke to change the mood huh?" Charlotte smirked.

Jess chuckled. "Can always rely on Uncle Luke."

"What are you two yammering on about?" Luke said.

"Nothing!" Charlotte grinned.

"Just keep being you, Uncle Luke." Jess smirked.

"A lot of work..." He grumbled walking off.

* * *

"Hey!" Rory smiled, walking into the bookstore.

"Hey!" Charlotte smiled looking up from the till. "And there's my gorgeous niece!" She grinned coming round to bend down to smile at Millie in the pram.

"Where are the guys?" Rory asked looking round.

"In the back doing the books." She said. "I'm up front today. They're actually trusting me for once." She grinned.

"That is risky." Rory teased.

"Nothing like the support of my loving sister." Charlotte grinned. "Hey Millie, why don't we just run away together huh?" She whispered, receiving a smile from the youngster in return.

"I think I would have something to say about that." Sam said appearing from the back.

"Meh, it was worth a try." She joked.

"Hey!" Sam smiled at Rory.

"Hey. Just thought we'd come and say hi." Rory smiled giving him a kiss.

"Well it's a nice surprise." Sam smiled. "Hey sweetheart." He smiled down at his daughter.

"We should get going if we want to collect Jack and then take him to Lane and Zach's and then get back to the school in time." Jess told Charlotte.

"Oh yeah! I didn't realise it was that time already!" Charlotte said glancing at her watch. "Sam, are you sure it's ok if we get off?"

"Of course, you go." Sam nodded.

"I can help out for a bit if you want." Rory offered. "Mils and I don't have any plans anyway so I don't mind."

"Really? That would be cool." Sam smiled.

"Thanks sis." Charlotte said.

"No problem. Hope it goes well." Rory said. "Give Jack and Lizzie a hug from me."

"Will do." She smiled before leaving with Jess.

* * *

"Mr and Mrs Mariano, thank you so much for coming in." Mrs Peters smiled at them.

"Of course. We wouldn't have missed this." Charlotte smiled.

"Please, take a seat." She said. "So Jack is definitely a character. He's got lots of friends here." She said.

"He loves school." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, he definitely didn't get that from either of us." Jess joked.

"I dropped out of college and Jess didn't go." Charlotte explained. "But we're so happy Jack seems to be enjoying it. And he's been doing well, right?"

"He is very bright, yes." She nodded. "But..." She said hesitating for a bit.

"What is it?" Jess asked.

"Jack's grades are slipping a little bit." She explained. "I have no doubt that Jack is very bright. He has shown that in previous work. But I feel like, at the moment, he is a bit more focused on being the class joker than his work."

Charlotte frowned. "That doesn't sound like Jack."

"I was a bit surprised at his latest behaviour as well. I've had to send him out of the room a couple of times recently because he's been disrupting the class." Mrs Peters explained.

"How has he been disrupting the class?" Jess frowned.

"Passing notes, playing up a bit for laughs." She said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Charlotte said surprised. "I...We will talk to him about that."

"Don't get me wrong, Jack is a great kid. You've both done a great job with him. We all love teaching him. It's just recently that it's been a bit tricky to get him to concentrate. It's annoying for us because we know he's got so much potential. We've had to separate him and Davey Belleville quite a few times." She said.

"We'll talk to him." Charlotte promised, glancing at Jess who nodded in agreement.

"I wanted to show you some of his previous work so you can see why we believe he isn't performing at his greatest ability at the moment." She smiled kindly. "This was an assignment about writing about your hero. He wrote about you." She smiled at Jess.

"He did?" Jess said surprised, glancing down at the piece of paper.

"As you can see, it's a great piece of writing." Mrs Peters said. "This is something he produced this week. As you can see, it's clear he hasn't put as much effort in it."

"Wow, that is a...contrast..." Charlotte said surprised.

"We're not sure why his focus isn't there at the moment but we really hope he can get back to how he is because as you can see, his potential is there." She said. "But let me reiterate, Jack is a great kid. We're not saying he isn't. We just wanted to let you know what's been happening recently."

"No, of course. We're glad you've been honest with us. I promise we will talk to him and try and find out what's going on." She said.

"Ok. Thank you." Mrs Peters smiled.

* * *

"I thought he was doing well. I never thought he'd be playing up..." Charlotte sighed as she and Jess were walking towards Lane and Zach's to collect the kids.

"I'm sure it's just a phase. We've all been there. Trying to impress our friends and classmates." Jess said.

"I know. But...it's not Jack. Jack loves school. Or so I thought..." She said.

"We'll talk to him." Jess said. "We know he can do better."

"That piece about you was amazing." Charlotte smiled softly at him.

"Yeah.." He said gruffly.

Charlotte knocked on the door as they reached Lane and Zach's and smiled as Lane opened the door. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Lane smiled at them. "Come on in. Lizzie's just fallen asleep but Jack's through here watching some tv with Zach."

"Great." Charlotte smiled.

"Thanks for watching them. We really appreciate it." Jess said.

"Oh you don't need to thank us. You watch the twins for us all the time so we're happy to return the favour. They're great kids." Lane smiled.

"Hey Jack, you ready to head home?" Charlotte said spotting their son on the couch with Zach.

"Mom!" He smiled getting up and coming to give her a hug. "How was the meeting at school? Did you meet Mrs Peters?"

"Yes, she seems really nice." She said.

"We'll talk about it at home. Have you got everything?" Jess asked.

"Yeah!" Jack said grabbing his school bag.

"I'll just go get Lizzie." Charlotte said.

"Thanks again for watching them." Jess told Lane and Zach.

"It's no problem dude." Zach said. "We had fun, right Jack?"

"Yeah." Jack grinned, nodding.

"I made sure he did his homework before watching tv." Lane said.

"Great thanks." Jess said.

"Right, we're all set. Thanks again guys. Let's catch up at some point yeah?" Charlotte smiled.

"Definitely." Lane nodded. "Have a nice evening."

"You too."

* * *

Jack looked up as Charlotte and Jess entered his bedroom. "So...how was the meeting?" He asked glancing at them, putting his book down.

"I have a feeling you might know." Jess said sitting down on his son's bed.

"What do you think she might have said?" Charlotte said.

"That...I've been in trouble recently..." Jack said quietly.

"And why has that been?" Jess said.

"I don't know..." Jack said glancing down.

"Jack, hon, we just want to understand. Mrs Peters also said she knows you're a great kid and that you're really bright and have so much potential. So why have you been slipping lately? We saw the piece about your hero." Charlotte said softly.

"You saw that?" Jack said, glancing at Jess.

"Yes and we were so proud. It was amazing, Jack." She said.

"Is something going on that you're not telling us? I know you and Davey like to have fun together but we never thought your friendship might disrupt your work." Jess said.

"It's not Davey's fault!" Jack said quickly. "Please don't stop me hanging out with him."

"We're not saying we will. We just want to understand." Jess assured their son.

"I don't know. I guess...I just find the work too easy. It's boring." Jack admitted.

"Boring?" Charlotte said surprised.

"I finish the work in class quicker than anyone else and I get bored. So I try and make people laugh. And then the homework is so boring that I just try to finish it quickly." Jack said quietly. He glanced at them. "Are you mad at me?"

"No." Charlotte sighed. "I just wish you could have told us."

"We could have contacted the school and your teachers. We could have gotten them to give you more challenging work. I'm sure they'd be happy to do that." Jess said.

"Really?" Jack said looking up.

"We can ask them." Charlotte nodded. "But we need you to talk to us, ok? We need to know what's going on. We can't help you if we don't know."

"Sorry." He said quietly.

"Get some sleep." Jess sighed. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Jack asked nervously.

"After reading that piece you wrote, never." Jess assured him. "Goodnight." He said softly, giving his son a kiss.

"Night dad." Jack said.

"Night darling." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Night mom." He replied.

Charlotte sighed as she turned off the lights in his room and shut the door. "Well I wasn't expecting that." She said.

"Me neither." Jess said. "Our son wants more challenging work. That's why he's been playing up. To try and enjoy school more. Our son wants to enjoy school so much that he tries to make his own fun." He said smirking slightly.

"It's not funny!" Charlotte said but laughed slightly.

"At least he's not just been a troublemaker." Jess pointed out.

"I guess. But we need to make sure he does focus more. We don't want him to lose sight of what he wants. He could go so far. I really want that for him." She said.

"I know. I want that too." He assured her.

"So we ring the school tomorrow?" She said.

"First thing." He nodded.

"Want to head to bed?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh yes please." Jess smirked. "Lead the way."

"Oh I intend to." She laughed, grabbing his hand and leading him to their bedroom.

 **So I hope you liked it! Please do leave a review if you like and let me know what you think! :) Thank you so much for all your support! I really do appreciate it. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all your support! I hope you are enjoying me continuing this journey. :)**

Chapter 3

"So you're having lunch with Luke, Rory and Mia right? And then dinner with your dad?" Jess asked.

"Yep, like every other father's day." Charlotte smiled. "But we're having an early dinner with dad so I'll be back here for the evening. Are you sure you're ok taking the kids to TJ's?"

"Yeah that's cool. Doula likes spending time with them." Jess said.

"Ok cool." She smiled. "Have I told you how sweet I think it is that you're going to see TJ on father's day?"

"I'm going for Doula." Jess said gruffly.

"Uh huh, you just keep telling yourself that." She teased.

"Ok and on that note, we're out of here." He smirked. "See you later." He said giving her a kiss.

"See you later. Drive safe." Charlotte smiled.

* * *

"Hey, wake up!" Rory grinned jumping on the bed.

"Really?" Sam groaned, squinting his eyes open.

"Someone very special has something to give to you." She said.

Sam opened his eyes more and smiled when he saw Millie on the bed too, smiling back at him, holding something. "You got me something huh?" He said softly.

"She made you a card. All by herself!" Rory grinned.

"Well who's a clever little girl then?" Sam chuckled taking the card. He smiled softly at the handprint on the front. "I love it, Mils." He said softly, before scooping her up and giving her a hug.

"And here's your next treat." Rory said picking up a tray with breakfast on for him.

"Breakfast in bed. Wow, I am being spoiled today." Sam joked.

"Well we just wanted you to know that we both think you're the best dad in the whole world." Rory smiled.

"Thanks." He smiled softly.

"Now enjoy your breakfast!" She grinned.

"Yes ma'am!" He smirked.

* * *

"Daddy!" Mia came running into the kitchen and launching herself at him. "Happy father's day!" She smiled.

"Thanks princess." Luke smiled softly, taking the pan off the stove to reciprocate the hug.

"I made you a card." Mia said handing him a card.

"Aw you didn't need to do that." Luke said. He smiled as he looked at the card and then read the inside. _Thank you for being the bestest daddy in the whole wide world! I love you. xxx_ He smiled softly at his daughter. "I love it. Come here you." He said giving her another hug.

"Someone else wants to say happy father's day." Lorelai smiled coming into the kitchen.

"Hey buddy." He said softly to Will who gave him a toothy grin.

"I was going to cook breakfast for you." Lorelai said.

"And kill me?" Luke smirked.

"Ok yeah good point." She laughed. "But I wanted to do something nice for you."

"It's fine. I like making breakfast for you all."

"So Rory and Charlotte are still coming for lunch right?" She asked.

"They really don't need to." Luke said. "They should just spend the whole day with Chris."

"Luke, just because things are good with their dad now doesn't mean they have forgotten everything you've done for them and all the times you've been there for them when they needed you." Lorelai smiled softly. "They want to have lunch with you. Let them."

Luke ducked his head slightly. "Ok." He said.

* * *

Lunchtime came and Charlotte was about to leave to go and meet Rory to head to Sniffy's to meet Luke and Mia when the doorbell rang. She frowned, not expecting anyone, and went to the door. She was surprised to see her dad standing there. "Dad? What are you doing here?" She asked confused. "We weren't due to meet until later."

"I know. I..uh..I was wondering if you and Rory could..uh..join me for lunch." Chris said.

"I'm sorry but I'm just about to go meet her and then we were going to meet up with Luke and Mia. You knew we were having lunch with them. We do it every year." She said still confused.

"I know but can't you change that just for one year? I'm your dad. Can't I spend the whole day with my daughters for once?" He said.

"Well, no..." Charlotte frowned. "We always split the day, you know that!"

"But I'm your dad! Is it so bad that I want to have lunch with my daughters? Luke had you for years! I deserve some time with you without him muscling his way in." He said getting frustrated.

"Dad!" Charlotte said shocked. "What is this? Have we suddenly transported back to 2005? Why do you suddenly have a problem with Luke again?"

Chris sighed. "I don't." He said. "You know I don't."

"Then what's going on?"

"I just...I really want to take you and Rory out for lunch. I just...I have something I need to tell you and I need to do it now or I'll bottle out." Chris admitted. "Please? You can meet up with Luke for dinner, I promise." He said.

Charlotte looked at her dad and sensed something wasn't completely right. "Ok.." She said slowly. "Let me ring Rory first though ok and then I'll have to ring Luke." She said.

"Yeah sure. That's fine. I can wait." He nodded. "Thank you." He said.

* * *

Jess glanced across at TJ as he helped him in the kitchen whilst the kids played in the other room. "So thanks for inviting us over." He said.

"Thanks for coming." TJ smiled. "Doula's really been looking forward to this. She loves hanging out with Jack and Lizzie."

"Yeah, I know." Jess smiled. He was quiet for a moment before glancing at him again. "I..uh..I got you something." He said.

"Yeah?" TJ said.

"Here." Jess said gruffly.

"You got me a card?" TJ said surprised.

Jess shrugged. "Figured you deserved one."

"Thanks." He said stunned, looking down at the father's day card. "You didn't have to..."

Jess shrugged again. "You're the closest thing I've had to a proper dad...well, apart from Luke. But, yeah...I know we didn't exactly start off on the right foot but I appreciate you being there for me. Especially after Liz...well, you know."

"Thanks." TJ said again. He glanced at Jess. "Liz would be so proud of you, you know that right."

Jess ducked his head. "She'd be standing here telling us she told me so about us finally getting along. You know the first thing she said to me about you was that she thought we'd hit it off straight away."

TJ chuckled. "How wrong was she huh?"

Jess smirked slightly. "It took some time. But...I guess she was right in the end."

"I guess she was." He smiled.

Jess glanced at him. "How's Doula doing?"

"She's ok. She has her good and bad days but that's understandable." He said.

Jess nodded. "Must be hard for her."

"And for you. You lost your mom too." TJ pointed out. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He said.

"Really?"

Jess sighed. "I keep myself busy."

TJ nodded. "Well if you ever want to talk, I'm here ok?"

Jess glanced at him and nodded. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

TJ nodded and then smirked. "Ok, how about we finish this off and then head into the other room to join the kids? I think that's enough of the emotional stuff."

Jess smirked. "Ok." He said.

* * *

Charlotte and Rory glanced at each other as their dad paid the bill for lunch. Lunch had been weird. They knew their dad was on edge and the conversation had been quite awkward and stilted. They didn't know what to think but they followed him out and they ended up walking through Stars Hollow.

"Let's sit here for a bit." Chris said nodding at the gazebo.

"Ok." Rory said and she and Charlotte followed him and sat down next to him on the bench there.

"Ok what's going on? You're scaring us, dad." Charlotte finally said.

Chris sighed. "I didn't mean to."

"You are though. You insist we go to lunch with you and then you hardly say anything at all. What's going on? Is it something with Gigi? Is she ok?" Rory asked.

"Gigi's fine." He assured him.

"Ok so...?" Charlotte said.

Chris took a deep breath. "I found a lump..." He finally said.

"Wh...what?" Rory said suddenly going pale.

"What do you mean, a lump?" Charlotte said, her heart dropping.

"I went to the doctor and..uh..it's not good news." Chris said, glancing down at the ground. "I stupidly missed my last check up which meant this has been untreated for a while now and it's already spread a little."

"You're saying you have..." Rory said quietly.

"Cancer. Yeah." Chris said quietly.

"But surely you can still get treated?" Charlotte said tremulously.

"I'm going to do everything I can but it's not looking good." He said. "It's always harder when it's already spread."

"Dad..." Rory said tremulously.

"Hey come here..." Chris said softly, putting his arms round them both and holding them close. "There is still a chance ok? I'm going to do everything to try and beat this. But...I didn't want to lie to you. There is a chance I won't make it either."

"Does Gigi know?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"Not yet. Penny and I are going to sit down with her and tell her tonight. But I wanted to tell you both in person. I'm sorry it had to be on this day but...I couldn't keep it to myself anymore." He said.

"Dad, we're so sorry." Rory said.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have made such a fuss earlier...I...I didn't know." Charlotte sniffed.

"Hey, it's ok. I know." Chris said softly.

"I'm so sorry dad." She said, giving him a hug. "We're here for you ok? Every step of the way, anything you need, we're here for you. Right?" She said glancing at Rory.

"Absolutely." Rory nodded. "Anything you need, you need us to watch Gigi, you call us."

"Thanks." He smiled tremulously at them. "I want you to know I love you both so much ok? I know I haven't always been there for you, I haven't always been the best dad to you both, but I love you so much."

"We know." Rory assured him.

"Yeah, we love you too, dad." Charlotte said softly.

* * *

Rory returned to her place and found Sam in the living room, playing with Lizzie. He looked up and smiled at her. "Hey, how was lunch?" He asked.

Rory felt her tears fall and she just rushed to him and hugged him. "Dad has cancer..." She sniffed.

"What?" Sam said stunned.

"He...he has cancer..." She said finally letting her emotions out and sobbed into Sam's arms.

Sam stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say. He just stood there and tried to comfort Rory as she cried in his arms.

* * *

Charlotte returned to her flat and found Jess, back from his trip, playing with Jack and Lizzie in the living room. He looked up and smiled at her. "Hey, how was lunch?" He asked.

Charlotte felt her tears fall and she just rushed to him and hugged him. "Dad has cancer..." She sniffed.

"What?" Jess said stunned.

"He...he has cancer..." She said finally letting her emotions out and sobbed into Jess' arms.

Jess stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say. He just stood there and tried to comfort Charlotte as she cried in his arms.

* * *

Luke looked up as Lorelai came back into the room later that evening. He noticed her looking shocked. "What's wrong?" He asked getting up from the couch.

"That..uh..that was Chris." She said quietly. "I think I might know why the girls cancelled their meal with you..."

"Why?" He asked.

"Chris..uh..He found out recently that..uh..he found a lump." She said in shock. "He..uh..he went to the doctor and it's..uh...it's cancer. He's got prostrate cancer, Luke. And...uh...and it's not looking good." She said trying to blink some tears away.

"What?" Luke said shocked.

"He's scared, Luke. He...He sounded like the school boy I knew. He...he sounded so vulnerable and scared and there's nothing I can do to help." Lorelai said tremulously.

"Come here." Luke said softly, pulling his wife into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"I need to call the girls..." She sniffed.

"Yeah..." He said quietly. He let out a big breath. "Cancer...wow..." He said.

"Yeah..." Lorelai sniffed.

"Ok look, we're here for him ok? Anything he needs, we're here. He knows that right?" Luke said softly.

Lorelai nodded. "I told him that."

"Good." He nodded. "Doctors can do amazing things nowadays, Lorelai. They can perform miracles. We just have to stay positive ok? But anytime you need to talk or just cry, I'm here for you ok? I know Chris means a lot to you. You loved him once and he gave you Rory and Charlotte. I'm here ok?" He said softly.

"Thank you." Lorelai said tremulously. "I love you, Luke."

"I love you too." He said kissing the top of her head. "I love you too."

 **So quite a big twist there! I was really nervous about this but I hope you liked it! :) Please keep reviewing as I love reading what you all think! :) Thanks again for all your support. I really do appreciate it. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all of your support! :) Here's the next chapter. Sorry it's a bit short but I wanted to get something up for you during this week. :)**

Chapter 4

Jess looked up from the stove as Charlotte walked into the room the following morning. "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked softly.

Charlotte just shrugged. "It just doesn't feel real still." She said quietly.

"Yeah..." Jess said.

"I just can't believe he has...cancer." Charlotte said. "He's got cancer! He could die!"

"Yeah.." Jess said quietly.

She glanced at him and then felt awful. "Oh Jess, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think..."

"It's fine." He gave him a soft smile. "It's been a huge shock. You're allowed to be upset."

Charlotte blinked back tears. "I just...There were years that I wished he would step up and be a proper dad to me and Rory. And then there were years that I hated him. I really resented him for not being there. Well, you know that, you were there when I wasn't talking to him. But then...gradually, he stepped up. He met Penny and he was actually happy. He's great with Gigi. She adores him. And he's really been there for me and Rory. I've finally got a proper dad and now...he could go again."

"Hey, come here." Jess said hugging her. "He could still beat this."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll deal with that together. You won't be alone. You'll have me, Rory, your mom, Luke..." He said.

"Luke..." Charlotte said quietly. "I...I didn't mean to disrespect him when I said I finally had a proper dad. I just..."

"I know." Jess assured her.

"Why are you crying?" A voice from the door said.

They whipped their heads round to find Jack standing there.

"Is something wrong with Grandpa?" Jack asked quietly.

* * *

Luke looked round as he walked into a cafe just outside of Stars Hollow. He spotted the familiar figure sat at a table by the window and slowly walked over. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." Chris gave him a small smile. "I..uh..I got you a tea."

"Thanks." Luke said sitting opposite from him. He glanced over at him. "I..uh..Lorelai told me. I'm really sorry."

"Thanks Luke." He said.

"Anything you need, you ring us ok? Lorelai and I are both here for you. You're not alone ok?" Luke said gruffly.

"I really appreciate that, thanks." Chris gave him a small smile. "And..uh..there was something I wanted to talk to you about...well, ask you really..."

"Sure." Luke said.

"Well I sort of feel embarrassed even having to ask this because I know you've been there for them when I never was. But...if this...if I don't beat this..." Chris said quietly, taking a breath. "If I don't make it, can you promise me you'll look out for Charlotte and Rory?"

"Of course." Luke said without hesitation.

"Thank you." Chris said.

"And I promise Gigi will be looked after as well. I know she has Penny but she will always be welcome at our house, I can assure you that."

"Thank you. Really...thank you." He said gratefully. He sighed. "I was so nervous asking you because you've pretty much been looking out for the girls all their lives anyway. I wasn't always the best dad to them. Well...you know that." He said.

"You're there for them now. And I know they appreciate it. The past is the past. Don't dwell on it." Luke said. "I spent years letting the past haunt me and it didn't help me at all. It took meeting Lorelai and the girls to realise that."

Chris gave him a small smile. "Who would have thought we'd end up actually being friends huh?"

Luke chuckled slightly. "I certainly didn't. Not when you were colluding with Emily and trying to break me and Lorelai up at their vow renewal." He said but smirked slightly to show he was joking.

Chris ducked his head slightly. "Still not my proudest moment." He said.

"It's in the past now." Luke said. "We're both happy now. Well..." He said, glancing up at him.

"Yeah.." Chris smiled softly.

"How did Gigi take it?" He asked.

"Not great. There was lots of crying." Chris admitted.

"Poor kid." Luke said.

"I told her I'm going to fight this." He said. "I am not going to give up the fight. I know it will be harder especially because it's spread a bit but I am not going down without a fight." He said determined. "I probably wouldn't have said this quite a few years ago but I have far too much to lose now. I need to fight this."

"And you will." Luke said. He glanced up at him. "You've got this. I know you can beat it."

"Thanks." Chris gave him a soft smile. "Ok, enough talk about this. You want a piece of pie?" He asked.

Luke chuckled. "Just don't tell Lorelai."

"Secret's safe with me." Chris chuckled.

* * *

"So Grandpa could die?" Jack asked quietly as he was sat on the couch with Jess and Charlotte.

"No."

"Yes." Jess and Charlotte answered in unison. Jess glanced at Charlotte. "We have to be honest, Charlie. He's old enough to understand." He said softly.

Charlotte took a deep breath but nodded. "There is a chance he could, darling." She told Jack softly. "But doctors can do amazing things now. And so many people have come back from this before. They've beaten it. And your Grandpa could too. He's part of the family which means he's tough."

"Like superman?" Jack asked.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Yeah, like superman." She said softly.

"Your Grandpa is going to fight this like superman fights the baddies." Jess said.

"And superman always wins." Jack said.

"Of course he does." Jess nodded.

"So Grandpa will win?" Jack asked.

"He's going to do his best to win. And you know why he's going to fight with everything he's got?" Jess said.

"Why?" He asked quietly.

"Because he's got so much to live for. He's got Gigi, your mom, Auntie Rory and he's got you as well. He loves you, you know that right?" Jess said softly.

Jack nodded slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't want him to die." He said tremulously.

"Come here." Charlotte said pulling her son close to her, blinking back her own tears. "He's going to be fine ok? He's superman." She said softly.

"Alright, go get dressed and then I'll make your favourite pancakes." Jess said softly, ruffling his hair. "Then we'll go out to the park maybe."

"Ok." Jack sniffed. "I love you mom." He said quietly.

"You have no idea, kid." Charlotte said kissing the top of his head.

Jack then ran to Jess and engulfed him in a hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you too." Jess said gruffly. "Go on, the faster you get dressed, the faster you'll get these pancakes." He sighed as he watched Jack rush off to his room.

"Well that was the hardest thing ever..." Charlotte said quietly.

"You did great." Jess said softly.

"So did you." She smiled softly. "I couldn't have got through that without you. Thank you."

"I'm here for you. Whatever you need." He said.

Charlotte got up and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. I love you." She said, giving him a kiss.

"I love you too." He said softly.

* * *

"I'm sorry about your dad." Lane said softly as she was sat in her living room with Rory and Charlotte later that day.

"Thanks." Charlotte said.

"My mama's been praying for him. And..uh..I have as well." She said.

"Thanks Lane." Rory said softly. "He'll be touched."

"How are you two doing?" She asked.

"We're doing ok." Rory said quietly.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here. I mean I know you have Jess and Sam but..well..what are best friends for right?" Lane said.

"Thanks Lane." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Yeah, we really appreciate you inviting us round. It's been a really nice distraction just catching up and stuff." Rory nodded.

"Well whenever you need that again, I'm always here. I'll just kick Zach out with the twins again." Lane joked causing Charlotte and Rory to laugh. "Seriously though, he knows you two probably needed a girly chat. He wants you to know he's here for you too. We all are."

"He's a good one, that Zach." Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah, he is." Lane smiled softly.

"I better get off. I promised Jack I'd be back to read some more of his book with him." Charlotte said.

"Yeah I should get back to Sam and Millie as well." Rory said.

"Thanks again for this. We really needed it." Charlotte smiled at their friend.

"Anytime." Lane assured them.

* * *

Rory returned to her place and let herself in. She smiled softly as Sam came out of the living room to greet her. "Hey.." She said.

"Hey." He said softly. "You..uh..you've got a visitor." He said.

"What, who?" Rory asked, not expecting anyone.

"Come and see." Sam said leading her into the living room.

Rory was stunned when she saw a very familiar figure sat on the couch. "Tristan..." She said.

 **Another little twist at the end there! ;) Again, I'm sorry for the shortness but I wanted to get something up for you before the weekend. :) Please keep the reviews coming as I really do love reading what you all think. Thanks again for your support. It really does mean so much to me. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 5

Rory glanced at Sam and then back at Tristan. "What...what are you doing here?" She asked stunned.

"Well..uh..I got an email from Charlotte last night and she..uh..told me about your dad. I was in Hartford so I thought I'd come by and see how you were doing." Tristan said.

"Charlotte emailed you?" Rory said surprised.

"Yeah..uh..we email every so often." He admitted. "I remember how you were there for me when my grandfather died. I just..uh..wanted to offer my support." He said.

"That's...sweet..." Rory said glancing over at Sam who wasn't saying much. She glanced back at Tristan. "I'm doing ok. Sam's been great." She said.

"I'm sure he has been." Tristan smiled just as a baby's cry was heard through a baby monitor.

"I'll get her." Sam said. "You ok here?" He asked Rory.

"Yeah I'm ok." She smiled softly at him.

"I'll be right back." He said before leaving the room.

Tristan sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things awkward. I just...I remember the times you were there for me. I just...I wanted to repay the favour."

Rory smiled softly. "That's really sweet." She said.

"I've missed you." He admitted.

"Tristan..." Rory said.

"Sorry. Making things awkward again, aren't I?" He smirked slightly.

"Only a bit." She said but smirked slightly. "It's good to see you." She said honestly.

"Someone woke up from her nap." Sam said coming in with Millie in his arms.

"Hey Mils." Rory smiled softly, taking their daughter from Sam. "Tristan, I want you to meet someone. This is Millie. Our daughter." She said glancing up at him hesitantly.

Tristan smiled softly. "She's beautiful." He said. "Hey." He smiled at Millie who gave him a toothy smile in return.

"She likes you." Rory laughed.

"Well I am very likable." He chuckled.

"That's debatable." She teased.

"Oh Mary, you wound me." He smirked. He smiled at her. "Ok, well I'll take off. It was good to see you. If you..uh..need anything, I'm happy to help. I'm moving back to this area so...I'll be around."

"I'll be fine. But thanks." Rory said sincerely.

Tristan glanced at Sam and then back at Rory. "It wouldn't be too awkward to give you a hug, would it?"

Rory smiled and walked forward and gave him a hug. "Thanks for coming, Tristan."

"Maybe I'll see you around." He said. He glanced at Sam. "Thanks for letting me in." He said holding out his hand. "Your daughter's beautiful."

Sam nodded and shook his hand. "Thanks."

Rory watched him leave and then glanced at Sam. "Well that was...unexpected..."

"You could say that. We had about 15 minutes of having to do small talk before you came back." Sam said.

"Sorry." Rory cringed. "I didn't even know he was in Hartford, I swear. I haven't heard from him for years. I didn't know Charlotte was in touch with him. I mean, I know him and Jess were friends but I wasn't sure if they were still in touch." She said.

"It's cool." He assured her.

"It is?" Rory asked slightly relieved.

"Rory, all that is in the past. I know what Tristan meant to you at one point. And I know you two care about each other. You ended amicably so it's only natural. I think it was nice he wanted to offer his support." Sam said.

"Yeah?"

Sam smiled and kissed her. "Ror, we're married now. And we have Millie. So much has happened between now and then. And I trust you completely."

"Thank you." She smiled softly. "I guess I just never thought I'd see him again."

"Yeah...it must have been a bit weird." Sam said.

"Yeah...you could say that." Rory sighed. "I can't believe Charlotte has been in touch with him all this time and she never told me."

* * *

"So how was it?" Lorelai asked Luke coming to join him on the couch in the living room.

"It was...a bit surreal." Luke admitted. "But I assured him that we're here for him no matter what. Whatever he needs."

Lorelai smiled softly. "Have I told you how happy I am that you two get along now? I'm really glad we've left everything that happened in the past, in the past."

"Yeah...well, life's too short." Luke sighed.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said quietly.

"He asked me if he didn't beat it, would I look out for Charlotte and Rory..." He admitted, sighing.

"Oh Luke..." She said softly.

"It just feels so unfair. He finally got his crap together. Charlotte and Rory love having him around, Gigi adores him and then this happened. It doesn't seem fair..." He said.

"I know." She sighed. "It doesn't seem real." She admitted.

Luke sighed and put his arm round her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"Definitely." Lorelai said.

* * *

Charlotte was watching tv with Jess, snuggled up on the couch, when her cell rang. She saw the caller ID and answered. "Hey Ror!" She smiled.

"Why didn't you tell me you were still in touch with Tristan?" Rory demanded.

"What?" Charlotte said surprised.

"He said you email every so often! How could you not tell me that?" Rory exclaimed. "You know he showed up here, right? He showed up when I wasn't in and Sam was!"

Charlotte glanced at Jess before getting up and heading to their bedroom. "What do you mean he showed up?" She said.

"He was in Hartford and apparently when you emailed him yesterday and told him about dad, he decided to come round and offer his support! I mean, how did he even know where I live now?" Rory exclaimed.

"Uh..I may have told him you were still in the area. I guess it's not hard to find out the information if you want it." Charlotte said hesitantly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in touch with him?"

"Because I didn't think it was a big deal! Tristan's a good friend. He's always been a good friend to me, you know that!" She said. "I'd just received an email from him so I replied and I guess I ended up telling him about dad. I'm sorry if you're upset but he's a friend, Rory."

"No, it's just weird! He's my ex, Charlie! He's my ex and you're apparently all buddy buddy with him! That's weird!" She exclaimed.

"It's not weird!" She frowned. "Tristan and I were friends before you two even got together."

"How would you like it if you found out I was frequently talking to you ex, huh?"

"I don't have an ex." She frowned.

"You know what I mean! You wouldn't like it! Stop talking to him from today." Rory snapped.

"Why? Why is it such a big deal? You've moved on. You're happy now. So why do you care?" She exclaimed.

"What is this? Seriously, Charlie? Are you trying to stir stuff up between me and Sam? Or did you always secretly have a thing for Tristan and you're hoping to get with him finally?" Rory said spitefully.

"What?" Charlotte said stunned.

"Is Jess not doing it for you now? I mean, like you said, Tristan's been a good friend to you through the years apparently. Was he always just a good friend or was there more to it?" She said snidely.

"Screw you, Rory." Charlotte said, shocked she could even think that. She hung up the phone and sat on the bed for a moment. She slowly got up and went back into the living room.

"Is everything ok?" Jess asked looking up at her.

Charlotte sat back down next to her and put her head in her hands. "I think I might have screwed up a bit."

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"Tristan showed up at Rory's this evening." She told him.

"Tristan?" He said surprised. "Wow...that must have been...weird."

Charlotte sighed. "The only reason he did was because I was emailing him last night and I mentioned about dad so he went to see how Rory was doing."

"You emailed him?" Jess said surprised.

"I've been emailing him every so often since he left all those years ago." She admitted. She glanced at Jess to gauge his reaction. "Is that...do you think that's weird?"

"That you've been emailing Tristan?"

"Yeah..." She said quietly.

Jess shrugged. "I'm a bit surprised. I mean, he is Rory's ex..."

"He was my friend before they even got together. He's always been a good friend to me. How is it fair that I should just stop talking to him just because he and Rory broke up?" Charlotte said.

"It's not, I guess..." Jess said slowly.

Charlotte sighed. "But now Rory's mad at me and she's even accusing me of having a thing for him all this time. I just...I can't believe she would even think that! I would never do that to her. Or to you." She said, glancing at him. "You have to believe me on that."

"I believe you." He nodded.

"You do?" She said relieved.

Jess sighed. "I can hardly judge you, can I? I've made my fair share of mistakes over the years. I'm surprised you didn't tell me you were still in touch with him but...I believe you."

"I only didn't because I assumed you were still in touch with him. I mean, you were friends as well. I just assumed if you were in touch, you'd realise we were as well." She said.

"Tristan and I lost touch a while ago." Jess admitted. "It wasn't deliberate. It just...happened."

"Oh." She said quietly. She sighed. "Do you think I'm a bad person? Should I stop talking to him?"

Jess glanced at her. "Do you want to stop talking to him?"

"No." She admitted. She sighed. "Tristan...well, he's been a constant to me since starting at Chilton. I know that sounds weird but he's been there for me through everything. Even when he and Rory broke up that first time when she got with Logan, we still talked. And Rory was fine with that then! I don't know why she's freaking out now."

"Well...it might just have been a shock to see him after all these years. It must have been a bit awkward...especially since she pretty much finished with him because she was starting to have feelings for Sam." Jess pointed out.

"I guess..." Charlotte said.

"You'll make up, You always do." He assured her.

"I honestly didn't think she'd mind..."

"I know." He said. "Come on, let's finish this programme and then head to bed. I'm sure it will all sort itself out tomorrow."

"I hope so." She sighed, snuggling back into him.

* * *

Charlotte was walking back across the square after dropping Jack off at school the following day when she heard a familiar voice.

"Of all the gin joints..."

Charlotte turned round and couldn't help but smile. "Hey." She said giving him a hug.

"Hey." Tristan smirked.

"I didn't realise you'd still be here." She said.

"Ah...I'm guessing Rory told you about my visit?" He said.

"More like demanded why I didn't tell her we were still in touch." Charlotte said.

"You hadn't told her?" Tristan said surprised.

"I didn't think it would be such a big deal." She said. "But I guess it was to her..." She sighed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to cause problems. I just...wanted to make sure she was ok. That you were both ok." He said.

"Both of us?"

"What, you think I stayed in touch with you just to find out stuff about Rory? To get closer to her again?" Tristan raised his eyebrows.

Charlotte ducked her head slightly. "No.."

"That was convincing." He smirked slightly. "Charlotte, you've always been a good friend to me. Whatever happened with Rory, you never judged me. You were always there if I needed to talk. So now...I'm here if you need to talk. About anything." He said sincerely.

Charlotte smiled softly. "Thanks Tristan."

"You want to grab a coffee or do you have somewhere to go?" He asked. "I see Luke's is still doing well."

She glanced at her watch and saw that she still had a bit of time before she had arranged to meet Jess. She glanced at him and hesitated slightly, thinking about what Rory would say if she knew but then she thought about all the horrible things Rory had said to her on the phone last night and frowned slightly. She glanced at Tristan again before giving him a small smile. "You know what, a coffee would be good." She said.

"Great." He smiled. "Lead the way."

"Hey Tristan?"

"Yeah?"

"It's really good to see you." Charlotte smiled.

"You too, Gilmore." Tristan responded. "You too."

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep reviewing as I love reading what you all think. :) I really do appreciate all of your support so thank you! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all your support so far! Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 6

"So this is nice." Tristan smiled. "Takes us back to Chilton days huh?"

Charlotte laughed. "Remember how many times the four of us would sit in here?" She then cringed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring you and Rory up."

"Nah it's cool. We've all moved on right? Rory has Sam now and she seems really happy. I remember back on our times together happily but relationships end. I'm just glad we ended amicably and that we can all still be friends." Tristan said.

"Right..." Charlotte said quietly, thinking back to what Rory had said to her.

"Hey, aren't you meant to be meeting Jess right now?" He asked checking his watch.

"Oh yeah!" She said. "Hey, you know what? Let me text him and get him to meet us here. You can meet Lizzie as well."

"Cool!" Tristan said.

"Oh so you're having secret meetings now?" A voice said entering the diner.

Charlotte looked up and sighed. "Give it up, Rory."

"Am I missing something here?" Tristan said confused.

"Maybe we should just go..." Sam suggested.

"I can see where your priorities lie. I mean nothing to you obviously!" Rory snapped.

"We're just having coffee, Rory! It's hardly a big deal!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Uh..girls? Do you think you could take this outside?" Luke said coming up to them.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving anyway!" Rory said storming outside.

"Oh no, she's not just going to walk away!" Charlotte snapped getting up and following them off, Tristan following confused. "What is wrong with you? Why do you care so much?"

"Because he's my ex! It's weird!" Rory shouted as she turned round to face her.

"Ok someone really needs to fill me in." Tristan said.

"Rory seems to think it's weird that we've stayed friends. Apparently I should put her first and just cut you out even though we were friends first." Charlotte said angrily. "I mean, how fair is that?"

"Uh..." Tristan didn't really know what to say.

"I don't get this! Why are you so intent on upsetting me like this? I would never think about doing something like this!" Rory said.

"Oh what, so you didn't stay in contact with dad when he sent Jess away huh? You didn't stay in touch with him when we were on the outs." Charlotte demanded.

"You said you were ok with that." Rory said surprised.

"Yeah, well I wasn't!" She snapped. "And remember when you went to see Jess in New York behind my back when I just needed some time to get my head straight? You're a hypocrite!"

"Yeah well does Jess know about your secret meetings with Tristan? Does he know that you email all the time?" Rory snapped.

"Actually he does." A voice said.

They all whipped their heads round to see Jess standing on the sidewalk with Lizzie in a pram.

"What the hell is going on? I could hear you both a mile away!" Jess said.

"You tell me, mate." Sam sighed.

"Did you know Charlotte and Tristan have stayed in touch since he left? And did you know they're now having secret coffee meetings?" Rory demanded.

"Oh my god, grow up! We're friends, that's all!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"She told me about the emails." Jess nodded slowly. "And she actually just texted me to come and meet them so..."

"Trying to hide it huh? Very clever." She snorted. "Well I guess it's not a surprise, huh? Maybe if you hadn't of cheated on her, she never would have spent so much time corresponding to Tristan." Rory said spitefully.

"Hey!" Jess frowned.

"What is your problem? Like I said, Tristan and I were friends way before you two even got together! It would have been like you telling Jess he couldn't stay friends with Tristan when you guys broke up but you were fine with that so how is this any different?" Charlotte demanded.

"Because...because it is! You're my sister! You're meant to be on my side!" Rory exclaimed.

"On your side? Over what?" She exclaimed. "There's nothing to take sides on! You and Tristan broke up amicably and now you're married to Sam. And you're both happy! So why do you care so much what Tristan does?"

"I don't care." Rory crossed her arms against her chest.

"Well this proves otherwise!" Charlotte said gesturing to them fighting in the street.

"Maybe I should go..." Tristan said uncomfortably.

"No! Why should you have to leave?" Charlotte said.

"I think maybe we should leave." Sam said.

"Why should we?" Rory said stubbornly.

"Because you're attracting a crowd now." Sam pointed out. "And plus, we've got young ears." He said sternly, gesturing to Millie in his pram and Lizzie's in Jess'.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte said ashamed. "It's fine. We'll leave. Tristan, why don't you come back to ours and we can catch up?" She said.

"Uh..." Tristan said glancing at Rory who was glaring at Charlotte.

"Yeah come." Jess spoke. "It will give us a chance to catch up."

"You sure?" Tristan said hesitantly.

"Of course. Come." Jess said.

"Ok..." Tristan said.

"I can't believe you. Do my feelings mean nothing to you?" Rory glared at Charlotte.

"They do when you actually have a reason to be upset but this is stupid. Instead of accusing me of stupid things, maybe Sam should actually question why you care so much about Tristan." She snapped. "Come on." She told Jess and Tristan before walking off with them, leaving Sam and Rory stood there.

"Urghh! I can't believe her! Can you?" Rory exclaimed in frustration.

"Well..." Sam said hesitantly.

"What?" She said whipping her head round to him.

"Forget it, I'm going home." He said walking off.

"Sam, wait!" Rory said rushing after him. "Sam!" She called.

* * *

"Seriously? She actually thinks I have a thing for you?" Charlotte exclaimed frustrated as she paced around the living room. "I can't believe she would think I would actually do something like that! And to bring up our ancient history as well? She knows how much that time hurt us. Why would she bring that up?"

"I don't know." Jess sighed.

"Look, I think maybe I should go. I never wanted to cause problems between you and Rory." Tristan said.

"No." She said finally sitting down, sighing. "No, it's not your fault. I just...I can't believe my own sister would think that low of me."

"So...we're still going to be friends?" Tristan said hesitantly.

"We're always going to be friends." She said softly. "Rory will just have to deal with it." She glanced at Jess. "You don't believe any of the crap that Rory was saying, do you? Because she's deluded. Really."

"I know." Jess assured her.

Charlotte let out a big breath and put her head in her hands. "I can't believe she would say that stuff..."

"Hey..." Jess said softly. "I'm sure it will work itself out."

"How? I can't just forget what she said. What she implied about me. What she said about you. She went way too far." Charlotte said.

"Maybe so. But maybe everything with your dad is having more of a toll on her than we thought." Jess said.

"Well it's having a toll on me as well and you don't see me acting like a jerk." Charlotte mumbled.

"Good point." Jess sighed.

"I just...how could she think that of me? How?" She said.

"I don't know." Jess said.

Charlotte glanced at Tristan. "I bet this all has scared you off. I bet you don't even want to be associated with our family now."

"Are you kidding?" He said. "You guys were the first proper friends I made here. I will never forget that." Tristan said sincerely. "Nothing could scare me away. But I'd understand if this would be too weird for you guys. Especially with Rory..."

"To be honest, I really don't care what Rory thinks at the moment." Charlotte said. "You're our friend. We don't turn our backs on a friend. Right?" She said glancing at Jess.

"Right." He nodded.

"Thanks." Tristan smiled softly at them. "So...this is Lizzie?" He asked.

* * *

"Why are you so mad?" Rory demanded as she followed Sam back into their place.

"I'm not mad." He said.

"Yeah, sounds it." She mumbled.

"Well what do you want me to say, Rory?" He snapped. "Why would you do that? Why would you make that whole scene infront of the whole town?"

"What?" She said surprised. "Sam, Charlotte lied to me! She did this behind her back! For years!"

"Or maybe she just didn't think to tell you because she didn't think it would be a big deal?" Sam said. "Did you think of that?"

"Tristan's my ex! It's weird!" Rory said stubbornly.

"Yeah and I repeat what Charlotte said, why do you care so much about what Tristan does?" Sam said.

"I don't! I care what Charlotte does. She's meant to be on my side!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well it seems to me you care more about Tristan keeping in touch with your sister than the other way round." Sam shrugged.

"Sam..."

He just shook his head. "Do you know how you made me look back there? Do you know how embarrassed and humiliated I felt?" He said. "You were more interested in what your ex was doing than caring about what I thought."

"That's not true." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah? Well funny way of showing it." Sam mumbled.

"Sam..."

"Just...forget it. I'm going out. Can you watch Millie or is that too much to ask?" He said.

"Of course I will watch her." Rory said quietly. "Sam..."

"I need to get out of here. I'll see you later." He mumbled before leaving a stunned Rory stood in the apartment by herself.

* * *

"What? They had a screaming match seriously?" Lorelai said shocked as she sat at the counter at the diner.

"Yup." Luke sighed. "It looked really bad."

"And it was about Tristan?"

"It seemed like it." He nodded.

"Maybe I should ring the girls...see what's going on..." She said.

"Maybe give them a bit of time to cool down first. You'll probably have them playing against each other otherwise." Luke said.

"Yeah good point." She sighed. "I just...This sounds really bad. I mean, they've had arguments before but this sounded really bad."

"I'm sure they'll work it out." Luke assured her. "It's probably everything just getting on top of them."

"Yeah maybe." Lorelai sighed. "They need to be there for each other, now more than ever before."

"I'm sure they'll make up."

"I hope so." Lorelai said.

* * *

Jess opened the front door to their place and was surprised to see Sam stood there. "Hey..."

"Hey." He said quietly. He sighed. "Can I come in?"

"Uh...well, Tristan is here..." He said awkwardly.

"That's fine." Sam sighed. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Jess said letting him in.

"Sam!" Charlotte said surprised to see him. She then frowned. "Has Rory sent you to do round 3?"

"No. I..uh..I actually came to apologise." Sam said awkwardly, glancing at Tristan.

"Apologise?" She said surprised. "For what?"

"For what Rory said to you. I don't know what's come over her. I don't know if it's the stress of not having a job, looking after Millie or just everything to do with your dad but...she shouldn't have said some of the things she said to you. Especially bringing up your past." Sam said.

"It's not your fault. You didn't make her say those things." Charlotte said.

"I know. I just...I'm sorry."

"Thanks." Charlotte said softly.

Sam glanced at Tristan. "You know, I never had a problem with you. I know you and Rory meant a lot to each other at one point. And I know it's a little awkward because...well...Rory started dating me after she broke up with you. But...if you're going to be around, I guess we need to make peace."

"That's what I want too. Please believe me when I say I have moved on. Will I always care about Rory? Well, yeah. But only because we went out for so long and she will always mean something to me. But I know she's moved on. And I have as well. I didn't show up to mess things up between the two of you, I swear. I just...I wanted to show my support. Rory was there for me when my Grandpa died. I wanted to repay the favour and show my support for what you're all going through with her dad. That's why I came. Everything that happened between Rory and I is in the past though. I promise you that." He said.

"I believe you." Sam nodded. "But...thanks."

Tristan nodded. "I guess I should maybe keep my distance for a bit though..."

"You don't need to." Charlotte said.

"Charlie, I never wanted to come between you and Rory." Tristan said. "I feel awful."

"Well don't." She said. "I don't really care what Rory thinks at the moment."

"You don't mean that." Jess said.

"I know that once Rory's calmed down, she'll feel bad." Sam said.

"Well tough! Let her feel bad!" Charlotte snapped.

"Charlie..." Jess said softly.

"No! This is the thing with Rory! She thinks she can say stuff that hurts people and then she'll apologise and just think we'll forgive her straight away. Well, she went way too far this time!" She snapped. "If she thinks I will just forgive her just like that, she has another thing coming. Now, I'm going to go collect Jack from school."

"Ok." Jess sighed. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah, see you." Charlotte said before leaving.

"Geez, everything's got so screwed up." Jess groaned.

"You could say that again." Sam sighed.

Jess glanced at him. "Are you and Rory ok?" She asked cautiously.

Sam shrugged. "I'm sure we will be. I just...Charlotte's right in a way. Why does she care so much?"

"I think everything with their dad really is taking its toll on them, to be honest." Jess said. "We all know what their relationship with their dad has been. But we know how good it's been lately. And now this bombshell...it must have shaken them."

"Yeah..." Sam sighed.

"But I know Charlotte and I know she will make it hard for Rory. She won't let this go for a while. Rory really hurt her, I could tell." Jess said.

"Yeah, I don't blame her, to be honest." Sam said.

Jess sighed. "I just hope this works itself out. They need each other's support right now."

"Yeah." Sam said. "Anyway, I better go. I just...wanted to clear the air. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah see you tomorrow." Jess nodded.

* * *

Jack looked up at his mom as they walked away from the school. "Are you crying?" He asked.

"What, no?" Charlotte said but suddenly she felt tears fall down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "It's just allergies." She told him.

"Are you sad about Grandpa? Has something happened?" Jack asked.

Charlotte saw her son's worried face and felt bad. "No, hon. No, Grandpa's ok. This doesn't have anything to do with him."

"So you are sad then?" He said.

"How did we get a clever kid?" She sighed. "Your Auntie Rory and I just had an argument, that's all." She told him. "But I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Do you want a milkshake?"

"What?" She said confused.

"You always get me a milkshake's from Grandpa Luke's whenever I'm sad. I thought it might help you feel better." Jack said.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "You're a sweet kid." She said softly, putting her arm round him and pulling him close. "But right now, what will make me feel better is going home and spending time with you, daddy and Lizzie."

"Ok." Jack said.

"Hey, why don't you head in there and grab some doughnuts?" Charlotte said as they stopped outside Luke's.

"Ok!" Jack grinned.

Charlotte handed him some money and watched him run inside. She leant against the side of Luke's and sat down on the floor. She suddenly felt more tears come and she couldn't help letting her emotions finally take over her as she hid her head in her hands and cried.

 **So I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think by reviewing! :) I really love reading what you all think so thank you for all your support! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I probably won't be able to update for about a week after this as I'm going away for a bit. Sorry it's a bit shorter but I wanted to get something up for you guys before I went. So I hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter 7

"This is ridiculous!" Charlotte exclaimed as she sat on a bean bag in Lane's apartment. It had been a couple of weeks since the argument with Rory. "If they had ended badly, I could understand why she'd be mad but they didn't! They ended as friends so why does she care so much?"

"I don't know." Lane said.

Charlotte groaned. "Urgh I'm sorry. I shouldn't lay all this on you, it's not fair. I just...it's really got to me. Tristan was my friend first. Why can't I stay in touch with him if I want to? I mean, when everything was going on between Jess and I, you and him still stayed friends. I understood that you guys had your own friendship." She said.

"I did appreciate that." Lane admitted.

She sighed. "I'm sorry. This isn't fair on you."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for." Lane smiled.

"Thanks." Charlotte smiled softly. "I'll stop now. I know it's not fair on you, putting you in the middle like this."

"It's cool." Lane assured her.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. Jack keeps asking us why he can't go see Auntie Rory. He's so used to see her a couple times a week and he's upset that it's stopped. I don't want to tell him it's because she's refusing to watch him for us anymore."

"She's seriously refusing to see the kids?" Lane asked surprised.

"Yep. She said she won't watch Jack or Lizzie for me anymore until I can admit what I did was wrong." Charlotte said. "I mean, who does she think she is? The kids adore her and she's using them to get to me, I know she is. It's just spiteful. None of this has anything to do with Jack and Lizzie so why is she punishing them?"

"That does seem a bit mean." She frowned.

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm done with her."

"You don't mean that." Lane said.

"I do! I'm done with her until she stops being so immature and admits that she overreacted so much." Charlotte said firmly. "That's it. If she wants to do it this way, then fine."

* * *

Jess glanced up to see Sam enter the bookstore. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." Sam said letting out a sigh as he joined Jess behind the till.

"Still nothing huh?" Jess said.

"Nope. She's still saying she's not apologising and she's adamant she's in the right. She's refusing to even speak to Charlotte until she apologises." Sam said.

"And Charlotte's refusing to speak to Rory until she apologises." Jess said. "How did we get here?" He sighed.

"I don't know." Sam sighed. "It's their birthday in two weeks. How are we going to celebrate if they won't even talk to each other?"

"I have no idea." Jess said honestly. "The kids are missing you too. Jack keeps asking questions. I don't know how much longer we can keep evading his questions."

Sam glanced at him. "You know...if you ever need me to watch them, I'd be happy to." He said.

"But I thought Rory..." Jess said.

"Rory can do as she pleases but she's not going to stop me seeing the kids or you." He shrugged.

"Thanks." Jess said.

"You were my friend first. I'm not just going to bail on you now." Sam said.

Jess gave him a small smile. "I'm glad."

Sam gave him a small smile. "I'm just going to do a stock check." He said. "I'll be back."

"Ok. See you in a bit." He said.

* * *

"Hey hon." Lorelai sighed giving Luke a kiss over the counter at the diner.

"You look tired." Luke commented.

"Thanks." She said dryly.

"Sorry." Luke smirked slightly. "You just look...distracted."

"I've had both Charlotte and Rory on the phone today asking if I could watch the kids. Except that I'm going to have to let one of them down because of this stupid fight they're having." She sighed. "I just wish I could bang their heads together."

"You and me both." Luke said. "Incoming." He said.

"What?" Lorelai said.

"Look." Luke said gesturing outside to where Jess, Charlotte and the kids were walking towards Rory, Sam and Millie.

"Uh oh..." Lorelai said.

* * *

"So I asked mom whether they could watch Millie tonight." Rory told Sam.

"Oh yeah? And?" Sam said.

"She said she'd get back to me." Rory said. "Which probably means Charlotte has asked her too."

"Ah." Sam said.

"Charlotte probably did it just to spite me." Rory grumbled.

"Did what?"

"Asking mom to watch Jack and Lizzie." Rory exclaimed. "She probably knew we needed to ask so got in there first!"

"How would she know though? It's not like you would have told her." Sam pointed out.

"Well did you mention to Jess that we were planning on going out tonight?" She asked.

Sam sighed. "Maybe."

"There you go then!" Rory said. "Charlotte probably doesn't even need anyone to watch the kids. She's just trying to spite me."

"Or they really do need your mom to watch them because we normally have the kids tonight..." Sam said.

"What?"

"It's a Tuesday. We always have the kids remember?" He said.

"Oh. Right." She said quietly.

"Auntie Rory!" A familiar voice shouted.

Rory glanced round to see Jack racing towards them. "Let's go." She told Sam, turning round quickly and starting to walk off.

"Seriously? You're not even going to say hello to your own nephew?" Sam frowned.

"I said let's go." Rory said.

"No." Sam said.

"Sam!"

"Auntie Rory!" Jack exclaimed reaching them and hugging Rory.

"Oh." Rory said surprised. "Uh..hey Jack." She said.

"Sorry, he got away from us." Jess said as he and Charlotte reached them.

"No problem." Sam smiled. "How are you, Jack? How was school?"

"Good!" Jack grinned. "Can I see you tonight?" He asked.

"Sorry, we're going out." Rory said.

"But you went out last week." Jack pouted.

"Well, we're going out again." She said. She glanced up as she heard Charlotte snort. "What?"

"Nothing." Charlotte said.

"No, it's obviously something. And while we're here, why did you ask mom whether she could watch the kids? You knew I needed a babysitter tonight." Rory said.

"Because I needed one as well." She said.

"You're being so immature!" Rory exclaimed.

"I'm the immature one?" Charlotte exclaimed having to laugh.

"Have I done something wrong?" A small voice said bringing them back to reality.

"What?" Charlotte asked her son.

"Why don't you want to see me?" Jack asked Rory. "Have I done something wrong?"

Rory looked down at him in surprise. She glanced at Sam and Charlotte before back down at Jack.

"No, you haven't done anything wrong." Jess spoke up. "Right?" He said giving Rory a look.

"Right." Rory said quietly. She glanced at her nephew. "Jack, you haven't done anything wrong, I promise."

"Then why don't you want to see me anymore?" He asked.

"It's nothing to do with you, Jack." Rory said.

"It is!"

"No it's not. You're too young to understand." She said.

"I'm 8!" Jack frowned.

"Exactly. You're too young." Rory said.

"I'm not! I'm not too young!" Jack exclaimed getting upset.

"Ok, let's calm down." Sam said.

"Happy now?" Charlotte glared at Rory.

"Hey, this is all your doing!" Rory retorted.

"What's going on?" Luke suddenly said coming out from the diner, with Lorelai in hot pursuit.

"Nothing." Rory snapped.

"Nothing." Charlotte said crossing her arms against the chest.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Luke said.

"So what?" Rory snapped. "You're not our dad so why do you have the right to tell us what to do?"

"Rory!" Charlotte exclaimed shocked.

"Why are you arguing? You were happy and now you're arguing all the time! Why are you always arguing?" Jack exclaimed.

"Good question, Jack." Luke said.

"Oh this is stupid! You're all against me anyway!" Rory snapped.

"Paranoid much?" Charlotte snorted.

"Stay away from me! And stay away from Millie." Rory said angrily.

"You can't stop me seeing my niece." She retorted.

"Yes I can. And maybe you should think about keeping your son under control instead of letting him ambush me and make me feel bad!" She snapped.

"Ambush you? He's 8! He wants to know why his own aunt won't even see him! He's confused, Rory!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Well then maybe he should ask his own mother why!" Rory shouted.

"Stop it! Just stop arguing! Why can't you stop arguing?" Jack exclaimed, upset, before suddenly running off and running across the road without looking. However, no one saw the car coming round the bend until it was too late.

"JACK!" Charlotte screamed as her son was clipped by the car and thrown up into the air, landing heavily onto the ground. "JACK!" She screamed, running over to her son.

 **So I hope that twist at the end will keep you wanting more! ;) Please let me know what you think by keeping the reviews coming. I love reading what you all think and I really do appreciate all the support I get from you all so thank you! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**So I'm finally back and was busy writing on the plane as I wanted to get something up tonight for you guys. Thank you for being so patient and I hope you're all still with me! :) Thank you so much for all your support. It really does mean so much. :)**

Chapter 8

Charlotte knelt down next to her son on the ground. "Jack!" She said.

"Don't move him." Jess said kneeling down next to her. "Wait for the paramedics."

"I...I'm so sorry. He just ran out!" A familiar voice said getting out of the car.

"Dad?" Charlotte looked up in shock.

Chris' face went white. "Oh my god...I hit Jack? I hit my own grandson? Oh my god, I feel sick..." He said.

Charlotte blinked back tears. "It wasn't your fault..." She sniffed.

"I swear I was doing the speed limit. He just ran out! I didn't see him." Chris said tremulously, kneeling down next to them. "Has someone rung an ambulance?"

"We did." Lorelai said rushing over, followed by Luke.

"Mom..." Charlotte sniffed.

"He's going to be fine." Lorelai assured her.

"He's not moving." Charlotte said her voice cracking.

"He's still got a pulse." Jess said gruffly. He pulled Charlotte into a hug. "He'll be fine, ok? The doctors will help him."

"Charlotte..." A small voice said behind her.

Charlotte suddenly clenched her fists and got up, glaring at her sister. "Don't you dare come any closer!" She spat.

"I...I didn't know he would...Why would he run out into the road?" Rory said.

"Because he was upset and that was all down to you! I can't even look at you right now!" She snapped. "Just go! And stay far away from my family."

"Charlotte please..." Rory said tremulously.

"GO!" Charlotte screamed at her just as the ambulance came.

The paramedics got out and got Jack onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. "Are you Jack's parents?" One of the paramedics asked Charlotte and Jess.

"Yeah." Charlotte nodded.

"I'm afraid only one can ride in the back." The paramedic said.

"You go." Jess told Charlotte. "I'll follow behind with Lizzie."

"And we'll follow behind as well." Lorelai promised.

"I can give you a lift." Sam spoke for the first time. "If..well...if you want?" He said hesitantly.

Jess looked at him and nodded. "Thanks." He said gruffly.

"Ok let's go." Lorelai said.

Charlotte got into the back of the ambulance while Jess followed Sam to his car.

"I just need to let Caesar and Lane know what's going on. I'll be right behind you." Luke told Lorelai.

"Luke..." Lorelai said tremulously.

For the first time, Luke saw the tears in his wife's eyes. "Hey, come here. Jack's strong. He'll be fine." He said softly, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said tremulously.

"You set off. I won't be long." Luke promised.

Lorelai nodded and glanced at Chris. "You coming?" She asked.

"Of course." He nodded.

Luke watched them leave before heading back to the diner to let Caesar and Lane know what was happening. After a few moments, he headed out again but he stopped when he saw Rory sat on the edge of the sidewalk with her head in her hands. He sighed before walking over to her. "Room for another one?" He asked.

Rory looked up in surprise. She nodded slowly, trying to wipe some tears away. "I don't know why you even want to talk to me." She sniffed as Luke sat down next to her.

"Because at the moment, we all need to be there for each other. So much has happened lately. We need all the support we can get." Luke said. He glanced at her and sighed. "What's going on, Rory? This isn't you." He said softly.

"I don't know." She said tremulously. "But I've messed everything up. Charlotte hates me, Jess hates me, I wouldn't be surprised if Sam's not so keen on me right now and after what I said to you, you probably hate me too." Rory cried.

"Hey, I could never hate you." Luke assured her.

"I don't know what's going on. Everything's so messed up in my head at the moment and it's making me lash out at everyone." Rory sniffed.

"What's messed up?" Luke asked concerned.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm not working. I just feel so out of control. And I know Millie's already 1 but I still feel like a new parent and like I don't know what I'm doing. And...and then finding out about dad..." She said her voice cracking. "I just think everything is getting on top of me and maybe seeing Tristan just pushed me over the edge, I don't know. But I took it out on Charlotte and now she hates me."

"You need to talk to her." Luke said.

"Like she'd want to talk to me." Rory said. "And I don't blame her either! I could have got her son killed!" She exclaimed tearfully.

"Jack's going to be fine." He assured her. "I really think you need to talk to Charlotte. Tell her everything you just told me and you never know, she might just surprise you." Luke said softly.

"I don't know..." Rory said.

"Come on, I'm heading to the hospital. Are you coming?" He asked getting up and holding her hand out to her.

Rory glanced up at him before slowly taking his hand and letting him lead her to his truck. She glanced across at him as he started to drive. "I'm really sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean it..." She said quietly.

"Well...you were right. I'm not your dad." Luke said.

"You're as good as." Rory said. "Just because we've got a better relationship with our dad now doesn't mean we've forgotten all the times you were there for us when we needed you." She said quietly. "I was totally out of order saying what I did to you and I'm really sorry if I hurt you." She said sincerely.

"Well...thank you." He gave her a small smile. "Apology accepted."

Rory gave him a small smile. "I think apologising to Charlotte is going to be a whole lot harder than this though..." She sighed.

"Well you don't know unless you try." Luke said.

* * *

Lorelai glanced across at Chris who was staring out of the window. She noticed his hands shaking. "This wasn't your fault." She said softly.

Chris glanced over at her and gave her a shaky smile. "I'm the one who was driving. Sounds a lot like my fault to me."

"Look, you were driving slowly. Jack just ran out. There's no way you could have seen him in time. It was an accident." Lorelai said.

Chris sighed. "Why did he just run out into the road anyway? It's not like him at all." He said.

Lorelai sighed. "He was upset. Charlotte and Rory had gotten into an argument again and...well, he was brought into it. He's clever. He knew what was going on and I think it just got to him. The next thing we know, he's running off." She said quietly.

"Charlotte and Rory still haven't made up?" Chris said shocked.

"Nope. This is bad, Chris. Like really bad. I've never seen them like this before." She admitted.

"Geez..." He said. He saw Lorelai smile a little. "What?" He said.

"Just because you and Luke are now best friends, doesn't mean you have to start sounding like him. It's weird." She teased.

Chris chuckled slightly. "Sorry." He said.

"So...how's everything going?" She asked hesitantly.

Chris sighed. "It's ok. I..uh..I've got my first bit of treatment tomorrow." He admitted.

"Tomorrow? The girls didn't say..." Lorelai said surprised.

"They don't know yet. I..uh..I was actually coming to see them when all this happened. Now it doesn't even seem important." He said.

"Hey, they'd want to know, trust me." Lorelai said softly. "Have you got anyone going with you?"

"Yeah, Penny is." He nodded.

"Ok good. That's good." She said giving him a small smile. "I...I really hope it goes ok."

"Thanks Lor." He smiled softly.

* * *

"Charlotte!" Jess said spotting her sat in a corridor.

"He woke up!" She said immediately standing up.

"What?"

"In the ambulance, he started to come round. He..He was talking to me." She said tremulously.

"That's good right?" Jess said.

"They said it was. They..uh..they've taken him through to do some tests. They said they'd get us when they were done." She said.

"So now we wait." Jess nodded sitting down next to her.

"Now we wait." Charlotte sighed. "Where's Lizzie?" She asked.

"Sam took her and Millie to the canteen to get them something to eat. He figured it might help us." Jess said. He glanced at her. "That is ok right?" He checked.

"Yeah it's fine." She said quietly.

"You know...you're going to have to talk to her at some point..." Jess said hesitantly.

"Don't..." Charlotte shook her head.

"Charlie..."

"I don't even want to talk about her at the moment."

"But..."

She let out a breath. "Please Jess. Can we just make sure Jack's ok first? Please?" She begged.

Jess nodded. "Ok." He said softly.

"Thank you." She said gratefully.

* * *

"Oh, hi!" Charlotte said nearly bumping into her dad as she was heading back from the toilet.

"Hi..." He said hesitantly.

"Are you ok?" She asked. "Oh god, have they come back with news on Jack? Is he ok?" She asked worried.

"Oh, no, they haven't said anything yet. I just...I wanted to say how sorry I was again. I feel awful." Chris said. "This is all my fault..."

"Oh...no, dad. It was an accident." She assured him. "Jack...well, he was upset and he took off. He normally doesn't cross the road without looking but this time, well I guess he was too upset." She sighed. "Dad, I don't blame you." She said softly. "I know it was accident. You'd never want to hurt Jack."

Chris let out a relieved breath. "No I wouldn't, ever." He said. "Thank you." He said gratefully. He started walking back with him. "So...you and Rory still haven't made up?" He said cautiously.

"Nope." She said stiffly.

"Right..." Chris said, not really knowing what to say. "Well, do you think you could before tomorrow?"

"What?" She frowned.

He sighed. "This was why I was coming to see you today. I..uh..I've got my first bit of treatment tomorrow." He admitted.

"What?" Charlotte's eyes widened. "Wow...that was..uh..fast..." she said.

"Yeah...well they...uh...want to start it sooner rather than later. Better chance and all that." Chris said.

"Oh...right..." Charlotte said. "Well I can come with you if you want..."

"I was kind of hoping both of you would come..." He admitted.

"Oh..." She said quietly. She was about to say something but they turned the corner and saw Jack's doctor there with the others. "Is he ok?" Charlotte asked immediately.

"He's going to be fine. He's got concussion and a sprained wrist but he's going to be ok. He was very lucky." The doctor said.

"Oh thank god..." Charlotte said letting out a tremulous breath. "Can we see him?"

"Of course. Let me show you the way." The doctor smiled.

* * *

The door to Jack's room opened and Luke poked his head round. "Ok to come in?" He asked.

"Yeah come in." Charlotte smiled softly.

"So your mom said he's going to be ok?" Luke said glancing at Jack who was resting at the moment.

"Yeah..." Charlotte smiled relieved. "He's got a concussion and a sprained wrist but they said he'll be ok." She said.

"Good." He nodded. He glanced at Charlotte. "There's someone outside who wants to talk to you." He said.

Charlotte frowned. "I don't want to see her." She said stubbornly.

"I think you should hear her out. You might change your mind then." Luke said.

"Why? What possible excuse could she have for nearly killing our son?" Charlotte snapped.

"It wasn't just her." Luke pointed out.

"What?"

"Jack ran off because you were both arguing, not just because of Rory." He said hesitantly. He sighed. "Look, I'm not saying you have to forgive her straight away or make up straight away. I'm just asking you to hear her out, that's all." Luke said.

"I think you should, too." Jess said.

"What?" Charlotte said shocked turning to him.

"Look, I've stayed quiet during this argument because it was between you two. But now it's not just between you two because Jack got caught up in it. We both know today could have had a whole different outcome." Jess said. "I don't want our kids in danger because of your argument so you need to do something about it. It's not fair on them and it's not fair on me."

Charlotte sighed. "I know...I...I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"I know you are. I know you never wanted this. Of course I know that. I just... surely this shows you have to do something to sort this out?" Jess said.

"Are you talking about Auntie Rory?" A small voice said.

They turned to see Jack opening his eyes.

"Hey honey..." Charlotte smiled softly.

"Are you going to talk to Auntie Rory?" He asked quietly.

She sighed. "I don't know."

"I think you should." Jack said.

"You do?" She said surprised.

"I don't want you to be upset anymore." Jack said quietly. "And I miss Auntie Rory..."

Charlotte blinked back some tears. "How about I do you a deal? You promise us that you will never ever run out into the road like that again." She said. "And...I promise that...I...I'll talk to Auntie Rory." She sighed.

"Deal." Jack gave her a small smile. "Mom? Dad?" He said quietly.

"Yeah bud?" Jess said.

"I'm sorry." Jack said quietly.

"We know you are." Charlotte assured him.

"I'll sit with him until you get back if you want." Luke told Charlotte.

"Thanks." She sighed. "Well I guess there's no time like the presence." She said getting up. She glanced at Jack before leaving the room. She saw Rory sat outside. "I'm going to the canteen to get some food. You can come if you want. But you've got five minutes." Charlotte said before walking off in the direction of the canteen.

* * *

"So Luke said I should hear you out." Charlotte said crossing her arms as she sat down at a table opposite Rory.

"Is Jack really going to be ok? Mom said he was but..." Rory said quietly. "Is he?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine. No thanks to you." Charlotte said.

"Charlotte, I'm so so sorry. I never expected him to run out into the road. I really...I...I'm so sorry. You know how much I love Jack..." Rory said blinking back tears.

Charlotte sighed. "Look, Jack should have known not to run across the road without looking. And...well it was pointed out to me that he was upset because of both of us so...maybe it was partly my fault as well..." She said.

"He was upset because of me." Rory said quietly. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I've been like this recently..."

"If that's all you've got then we're done here." Charlotte said getting up.

"I feel like a rubbish mom.." Rory said.

Charlotte stopped and turned back to her. "What?" She said.

Rory sighed. "I know Millie's one already but I still feel like a new parent. Sam has it down of course. He's the one that can always comfort her when she cries. He's the one who she wants cuddles with. I'm just...I'm just the person who gives her milk."

Charlotte sat back down. "How long have you been feeling like this?" She said stunned.

"Ever since she was born." Rory admitted. "I tried to put a front on for Sam because he was so happy. And I was as well. I am. I just...maybe I'm not cut out to be a mom..."

Charlotte sighed. "Rory, Millie adores you. You're a great mom."

"No, you're a great mom." Rory said. "You have been ever since Jack was born."

"Thanks but it wasn't easy. You know it wasn't. I got stressed out as well." Charlotte said. "Have you spoken to Sam about this?"

"No."

"Maybe you should..." Charlotte said. She glanced at her. "Is this why you've been so...not you?" She said hesitantly.

"I don't know. Maybe. I guess I see you with your perfect family and I've not found it as easy as you. And then everything with dad shook me and then seeing Tristan..." She said quietly. She sighed. "Tristan was amazing to me and I treated him so badly. I felt guilty. I still feel guilty. I guess that's why it shook me when I found out that you two had kept in touch..."

"But..."

"You were friends first. Yeah I know that." Rory said. "Everything you said to me was right. I just...even though we ended things amicably, it still...hurts seeing him, knowing how horribly I treated him." She said quietly.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "Don't you think it's time to let that all go?" She said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Rory said.

"I mean, Tristan's forgiven you so isn't it time to forgive yourself?" Charlotte said.

"Maybe..." Rory said quietly.

"I need to get back to Jack." She said.

"Are we ok now?" Rory asked. "I mean, are we back to normal?"

Charlotte glanced at her sister. "I don't think we can ever go back to how we are, do you?" She said quietly.

"Charlotte..." Rory blinked back tears.

"I need some time." Charlotte said tremulously. "You said things...you really hurt me. I need some time."

"Ok." She said quietly. "How...how much time?" She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know." Charlotte said.

"Can...can I come and see Jack? I owe him a big apology." Rory asked quietly.

Charlotte was quiet for a moment before glancing at her. "I think Jack would like that." She said.

Rory let out a breath. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

"I might need some space and some time. But those kids...my kids...they love you. So...you're welcome to see them anytime." Charlotte said quietly. "Just...don't let them down again because I can promise you, this will be your last chance." She said.

"Thank you. And I won't, I promise." Rory said sincerely.

Charlotte nodded and headed back to Jack's room.

* * *

"I was proud of you today." Jess said as he sat next to Charlotte next to Jack's bed, later that day.

"You were? Why? I couldn't sort it..." She sighed.

"I wasn't expecting you to sort it." Jess said.

"You weren't?" She said surprised.

"You made the first step. You put your kids first. I'm proud of you." Jess said. "I wasn't expecting you and Rory to sort it out in a day because I know that's not going to happen. But I'm proud that you made the first step."

"Thank you." She smiled softly.

"I love you so much, you know that right?" He said softly, kissing the side of her head.

"I know." She said softly. "I love you too." She said snuggling up to him. "I love you so much."

 **Thanks again for all your support! I hope you liked it! :) Please do keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you all think. I really do appreciate each and every review so thank you! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for your continued support! :) Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 9

It had been a couple of weeks since Jack's accident and Charlotte woke up to some banging and clattering outside the bedroom door. She smiled as she heard some hushed voices.

"Lizzie!" Jack's voice said.

"Sowwy." Lizzie's small voice said.

"Ok, stop arguing. Lizzie, pick up the spoon. Are you guys ready?" Jess' voice said.

"Ready." Jack said.

"Ok, let's go." Jess said.

Charlotte smirked as the door opened and she saw her husband carrying a tray with breakfast on and her kids carrying a card each. "Still working on your ninja skills huh?" She joked.

Jess chuckled. "We're working on it." He said.

"Happy birthday, mom!" Jack grinned rushing forward and jumping up onto the bed.

"Happy birfday!" Lizzie followed Jack.

"Thanks. Wow, these are amazing!" Charlotte smiled as she looked at the cards her kids had made. "I love them." She smiled softly at them.

"We helped dad make you breakfast in bed!" Jack said excitedly.

"You did? Wow!" Charlotte exclaimed. "It looks amazing!"

"I helped!" Lizzie said.

"You did?"

"Toat!" Lizzie nodded proudly.

"You helped make the toast? Well it looks great. It all does." Charlotte smiled. She smiled softly at Jess. "You didn't have to do all this."

"Yes I did. You deserved to be made a fuss of." Jess smiled. "I wanted to see you smiling again."

"Well you got that. Thank you." She smiled softly at him leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Happy birthday, birthday girl." He smiled softly.

* * *

Rory came out of the bedroom and headed towards the living room. She smiled as she saw Sam sat there with Millie on his lap, surrounded with a few presents. "Hey." She said softly.

"Happy birthday!" Sam smiled getting up, letting Millie get down who rushed towards her mom.

"Thanks." Rory smiled, picking Millie up. "You really didn't have to get me anything." She said gesturing to the presents.

"It's your birthday. Presents are mandatory." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah I know. I just...I probably don't really deserve them." Rory said.

"Rubbish." Sam said coming over to her. "You've been going through a tough time and I wanted to treat you." He said softly giving her a kiss.

"Thank you." She smiled softly. She sighed as she sat down. "I'm dreading the party tonight." She admitted. "I know mom's been planning it for ages. Normally I would be so excited for one of my mom's parties but...well...Charlotte..."

"You two are getting there." Sam said.

"Not really. I mean she talks to me civilly and stuff when the kids are involved but apart from that, nothing." Rory said. "Not that I blame her of course." She sighed.

"It'll be fine." He assured her. "Come on, let's open the presents." He smiled.

* * *

Jess glanced over at the couch when Charlotte and Rory were sat at the Crap Shack with Lane. He could see them talking but he could see it was very civil and formal, not the way they normally interact at their birthday. He sighed, wishing they could just work it out. He could understand why it was taking Charlotte some time but he knew it was making her miserable. He wandered off into the kitchen where he found Sam. "Hey." He said.

"Oh hey." Sam smiled. "Great party huh?"

"Lorelai is known for her parties." Jess nodded.

Sam glanced at him. "It doesn't matter though huh? When we know they're not enjoying it like they should?"

Jess sighed. "I get why it's taking time for them. Charlotte was really hurt but...they're sisters. And what with their dad starting his treatment already, they need each other now more than ever."

"I know." Sam sighed. "I just wish I knew Rory was feeling like she did. Maybe if I had known, none of this wouldn't have happened." He said.

"It's not your fault. Rory...well, she's good at hiding things. She...she probably didn't want to worry you." Jess said.

"I know. I just...felt so helpless. She was going through this all by herself." He said.

"How about if I say I've got a plan to reunite them tonight?" Jess said.

"I'd say I'm definitely listening." Sam said.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Jess headed over to where Lorelai was stood with Luke. "I have a favour to ask." He said.

"I'm listening." Lorelai said.

"If I request a song at a specific time, could you get it on?" Jess asked.

"Sounds doable. Are you going to tell me why?" She asked.

"Not sure if it will work yet but hopefully it will result in two people finally letting their guards down and having fun." He said.

"In which case, I'm definitely in." Lorelai grinned. She hated that her daughters were having trouble.

"You're plotting something, aren't you?" Luke said.

"Possibly." Jess smirked. "I'll see you later. Great party by the way." He said wandering off.

He glanced around trying to find someone. He headed through the house but couldn't find them. He headed outside onto the back porch and that was when he spotted her. "Is this seat free?" He asked.

Rory looked up in surprise. "Oh..yeah, sit." She said.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm ok." She nodded.

"It kind of sucks, doesn't it?" Jess guessed.

"What?" She said surprised.

"I know Charlotte feels the same. This thing between you two, it's ruining the day. And today should be a happy day of celebration between the two of you." Jess said. He glanced at her. "I wish you would both be able to enjoy today."

"I don't want to push her." Rory admitted.

"I feel like she secretly wants you to." Jess said. "I know Charlotte and I know she's miserable at the moment. She wants to enjoy her birthday but she can't. Not without you."

Rory sighed. "I want things back to normal. I want that more than anything but I know I messed so much up. I really hurt her and I don't blame her for hating me."

"She doesn't hate you." Jess assured her. "Look, maybe you should have a dance together. Relax a bit and just have some fun. And it's tradition after all."

"I doubt Charlotte would be up for that this year." She said.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure. I've got the best man on the job at the moment." Jess smirked.

"What? Who?" Rory said.

"You'll see." Jess said. "Come on, while we're waiting, why don't we have a dance? It's your birthday after all." He said. He saw her hesitate. "Come on, I promise to look worse than you." He smirked.

Rory smiled slightly. "Ok fine!" She said. "You don't stop trying, do you?"

"Nope." He smirked. "Come on birthday girl!"

Meanwhile, Sam found Charlotte sat in her old bedroom. "Hey.." He said hesitantly, poking his head round the door.

"Hey." She gave him a small smile.

"Want some company?" He asked.

"Sure." She smiled.

"How are you doing?" He asked sitting down next to her.

"I'm ok." She nodded.

"That's convincing." Sam teased.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Am I that transparent?" She asked.

"No. I just know a certain other person is feeling the exact same as you." He said.

She sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry." Sam shook his head. "Look, I may be Rory's husband, but I do understand that this thing between you will take some time to sort out. I do get that. I know she hurt you but I also know she feels awful about it. I can't help thinking that if she had talked to me sooner, none of this would have happened." He admitted.

Charlotte glanced at him. "She told you everything?" She asked.

"Last week." He nodded. "I felt awful. I honestly had no idea she was feeling like she was. I wish she could have talked to me." Sam said.

She sighed. "It's nothing against you. Rory like bottling things up. Well she doesn't like it but she's always done it. She doesn't want other people to worry." She said. "She's done it her whole life."

Sam glanced at her. "Do you think you can forgive her?" He asked.

"I want to." She said honestly. "I really do." She said before sighing. "I just..."

Sam smiled softly at her. "I know." He assured her. "Look, why don't you come have a dance with me?" He suggested.

"With you?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Come on, I'm known for my dance moves!" He grinned. "Let's have some fun and forget about everything for now."

Charlotte hesitated before smiling. "Ok fine, but if Jess gets jealous I'm saying it was all your idea!" She joked.

Sam chuckled. "Deal!" He grinned. "Come on!" He said grabbing her hand and leading her into the living room. "Oh, it looks like someone had the same idea." He said innocently as Rory and Jess danced in the middle with some other people.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and glanced at Sam. "Shocking." She said dryly.

"Come on!" He grinned pulling her towards them.

"Sam!" She sighed but Sam dragged her towards Jess and Rory. "You planned this, didn't you?" She said to Jess.

"Maybe." Jess admitted. "But only because we don't want you two to miss out on your favourite tradition on your birthday."

"We just want you to enjoy the day and forget about everything else for today." Sam said honestly. "You both deserve to enjoy this day. Together."

Charlotte sighed and looked at Rory. "Did you know they were planning this?" She said.

"No idea." Rory said. "Look, we don't have to do this...not if you don't want to..." She said.

Jess glanced over at Lorelai and nodded his head slightly and suddenly the Macarena blasted through the room. "Come on, you can't refuse now! You two are legendary at this dance now." He said.

"I can't believe you actually planned all this." Charlotte shook her head at Jess.

"And you, you're not off the hook." Rory told Sam.

"If you finally enjoy yourselves, I think I can live with that." Sam grinned.

"So what do you say?" Jess smirked.

"I hate you." Charlotte said but smirked slightly to show she was joking.

"I can live with that." He grinned.

Charlotte sighed and glanced at Rory. "Well...it looks like we don't have a choice now..."

"Our public does seem to be waiting..." She smiled slightly as she saw everyone watching them with bated breath.

Charlotte smiled slightly. "Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" She said.

"Are you sure?" Rory bit her lip.

She glanced at her sister. "They're right. We should enjoy today and not think about anything else. You up for it?"

Rory smiled. "Sure." She said.

"Let's show them how it's done then." Charlotte smirked and grabbed her sister's hand and they started doing the moves.

Jess and Sam moved off to where Lorelai and Luke were standing. Lorelai glanced at them. "Good job." She smiled at them.

"We try." Jess said.

"Let's hope this can be the start of things becoming good again." Sam said.

"I think it just might be..." Jess said as he watched them dancing together and laughing. He could see them starting to relax and actually having fun together. It was like they were finally back to how they used to be. He just hoped it would last.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and Lorelai went to answer it. She opened the door and was surprised by what she saw. "Chris..." She said. "You look..." She said shocked by how tired and ill he looked.

"I'm sorry I'm late..." Chris said. "I..uh..I slept through my alarm and I..uh...I had a rough morning but I couldn't let them down. I needed to be here..." He said.

 **So I hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think! I really do appreciate all your reviews so thank you! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all your support so far! Here's the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 10

"Chris, you should be at home resting." Lorelai said softly.

"I needed to be here..." He said.

"Chris..." Lorelai said softly but she let him in. "You need to take it easy. The chemo is obviously taking its toll on you"

"I couldn't miss thi..." He started to say before he suddenly lurched forward and before anyone could do anything, he threw up on the floor just inside the living room.

"Chris!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Dad!" Two familiar voices exclaimed.

"I'm fine..." Chris said hoarsely, his face pale.

"You're not, dad. Come sit down." Charlotte said.

"Grandpa..." A small voice said.

They turned to see the kids all staring at him in horror.

"Jess..." Charlotte said.

"On it." Jess said, nodding at Sam. "Come on kids, let's go upstairs." He said before him and Sam led Jack, Mia, Lizzie, Will and Millie upstairs.

"Are you ok? Do you feel like you're going to be sick again?" Rory asked.

"Uh no...I think I'm good." He said, collapsing onto the couch.

"Dad, you should be resting at home." Charlotte said softly. "The doctors recommend that you take it easy."

"I'm fine." He repeated.

"You're not!" Rory exclaimed. "Look at you!"

"Rory..." Charlotte warned.

"What? He's not well, look at him! I don't understand why he's here when he could be resting at home!"

"Because we all know this could be your last birthday I celebrate with you and I didn't want your last memory of me be me letting you down yet again on your birthday! That's why I'm here!" Chris exclaimed. He sighed when everyone fell silent. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I just...I had to get here."

"Dad..." Rory blinked back tears.

"Hey, it's your birthday. You should be smiling, not crying." Chris smiled weakly.

"We are happy you're here, dad." Charlotte said softly, giving him a hug.

"Of course we are. I was just...worried..." Rory said quietly.

"I know." Chris assured her. "I..uh..I'm sorry I sort of made your guests disappear..." He said looking round the now nearly empty room.

"Hey, the only people we really want here on our birthday are here." Charlotte assured him.

"Is there anything we can do?" Rory asked.

"Here's some water." Lorelai said walking into the living room from the kitchen.

"And some food." Luke said, handing him a plate. "You need to make sure you're eating and drinking." He said.

"Thanks." Chris said taking the water and food. "I'm sorry I sort of ruined the mood..."

"You didn't." Lorelai said. "So...the treatment's tough huh?" She said hesitantly.

He sighed. "You could say that. I'm getting pretty much every side effect there is."

"I'm sorry." Lorelai said sympathetically.

"My dad did as well." Luke said gruffly.

"He did?" Chris said glancing at him. "How did he handle it?"

"By being stubborn and opening the hardware store every day, going against his doctor's recommendations. He drove me mad." Luke said, causing everyone to chuckle slightly.

"He probably just wanted everything to still feel normal." Lorelai smiled softly at her husband.

"Yeah, I know that now." Luke said. "Back then, I was so mad at him." He sighed.

"I can get how he felt." Chris said quietly. "I want things to be normal. For Gigi's sake more than anything. But it is hard." He admitted. "She's had to see me struggle so much already. She shouldn't have to see her dad like this."

"How about Rory and I take Gigi out every week? It will give her a bit of a distraction and then it will give you some time alone where you don't need to worry about how rubbish you're feeling because you're worried she's there and will witness it." Charlotte said.

"Really? You'd do that?" Chris asked. He glanced between them. "Are you two...ok now then?" He asked hesitantly.

Charlotte glanced at Rory and then back at their dad. "You're our priority right now. We're in this together." She said. She glanced at Rory and smiled softly. "Right?"

Rory smiled softly. "Right." She said. "And we would love to take Gigi out, make it a regular thing. You know how much we love seeing her."

Chris smiled softly. "I know."

"So it's a plan." Charlotte nodded.

* * *

Jess watched as Lizzie, Will and Millie started playing with some toys on the floor in Mia's room. He then glanced over at Jack and Mia who were sat on the bed. He sighed and went to sit next to them. "Your Grandpa is just feeling a bit sick at the moment." He told Jack.

"Is he going to die?" Jack asked quietly.

"I..uh.." Jess faltered.

"No he's not." Sam said sitting on the other side of them. "Because he's tough like your mom."

"Why was Rory and Charlotte's dad throwing up?" Mia asked.

Sam exchanged a glance with Jess. "He's not well at the moment. But he's been to the doctor and they're helping him feel better." He said.

"But he was being sick so how are they helping him?" Jack said.

"Look, he's having this treatment to help him get better but it also means he might feel a bit sick while having it." Jess explained.

"But it's a good thing that he's having this treatment because it has helped many people before. And it will help him, we're sure of it." Sam said. "Now who wants to play a game?" He smiled.

"What game?" Jack said.

"You choose." Sam said.

"Can we play with my barbies?" Mia asked.

"Noooo!" Jack groaned.

"Oh I don't know, barbies could be fun." Sam smirked.

"Seriously?" Jess said raising his eyebrows. "I'm with my son here. I'd much rather just read some books."

"Yeah!" Jack exclaimed.

"Well you'll be missing out. Mia, I'll play with you. Let Jess and Jack be boring together." Sam joked, causing Mia to giggle.

"You softy." Jess smirked.

"You're just jealous." Sam grinned.

"Sure. You enjoy your barbies." Jess chuckled.

* * *

Charlotte found Rory in their old bedroom later that evening after their dad had left. She knocked on the door. "Can I come in?" She asked hesitantly.

"It was your room once as well." Rory said.

Charlotte smiled softly and looked around. "Seems so long ago now, right?"

Rory smiled slightly. "Yeah it does." She said softly.

Charlotte let out a breath as she sat down next to her. "Weird day huh?"

"You could say that." She sighed. She glanced at her sister. "Dad is going to be ok, isn't he?" She said quietly.

"Of course he is. He's going to beat this. I know he is." Charlotte said firmly.

"What if he doesn't?" Rory said.

"He will." She said. She glanced at Rory. "I know things have been...weird...lately. But dad really needs us right now. He needs both of us. United." She said. Charlotte sighed and put her arm round her sister. "We're in this together ok?"

"I've missed you, sis." Rory said blinking back tears.

Charlotte pulled her sister into a hug. "I've missed you too." She admitted. "Dad's going to be fine."

Rory took a deep breath and nodded. "Dad's going to be fine." She said.

"Hey, he's got the best daughters looking out for him. How can he not be ok?" Charlotte joked.

Rory smiled slightly. "We do make a good team." She said.

Charlotte smiled softly. "Yeah. We do." She said.

 **I'm sorry it's short but I wanted to get something up for you before I went to bed and I'm nearly falling asleep on the sofa! :P I promise the next chapter will be longer! :) I hope you liked it. Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you all think. Thanks again for all the support! I really do appreciate it. :)**


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